Community sharps bin gets lukewarm reviews yet unanimous support

Although North Bay City Council voted in favour of redirecting $10,000 to the installation and upkeep of a community sharps bin, several members did so begrudgingly.

Councillors raised points questioning the bin's effectiveness in the grand scheme of the continuing community crisis of mental health, addictions, and homelessness. Some wondered how the issue had been allowed to be downloaded on the municipality and others made calls for upper levels of government to take ownership of the situation.

See original story: Funding for downtown sharps bin must be re-directed by Council

In the discussion on the motion to redirect funding to the community sharps bin — $10,000 originally designed as a contribution from the City of North Bay to the Sharps Buy Back program administered by the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit — Coun. George Maroosis observed, "At some point you have to draw a line in the sand."

Maroosis continued by citing a recent study on local homelessness overseen by the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board showing addiction and substance abuse as the number one reason among respondents for housing loss and the third most common barrier to finding housing.

See related story: Homeless survey shows staggering increase

"It seems strange to me we're accepting this download with the opioid addiction," considering the toll it has had on the population, he added.

Coun. Scott Robertson, worked for 18 months with Deputy Mayor Tanya Vrebosch at a committee level to bring a resolution to the issue that arose after a needle buy back program was discontinued by the Health Unit. The program offered one $5 gift card for groceries for every 100 used sharps, needles, or syringes.

The local Health Unit says Sharps Buy Back was a "short-term project to help increase the number of sharps returned to the Health Unit and partnering agencies' needle syringe programs, to support specific initiatives each year. It was never intended to be a sustained program."

Robertson acknowledged the concerns raised by his colleagues about the community sharps bin and said he also shares "concerns about what the City's role will be."

Although gaining the approval to establish the community sharps bin at the Community Counselling Centre on McIntyre East is a move in the right direction in addressing the overriding issues of mental illness, drug abuse, and homelessness, Robertson sees it as "a really small step."

He adds, "This will add value. It is not a solution. It's barely even a band-aid."

When Robertson previously spoke to BayToday as he prepared the motion unanimously passed Tuesday, he said, although sharps bins can mitigate the problem,  the overreaching issue is a lack of housing. 

"There are a lot of drug users who are conscientious. Plenty who use needles and use pipes and do the right thing. They are already disposing of needles properly," without a sharps bin, he said.

Vrebosch agreed there "is a bigger conversation that needs to be had as far as mental health and addiction."

She added, the problem of carelessly disposed of needles and their safe collection should rest with the Ministry of Health and Coun. Mac Bain said he has received indications Minister of the Environment for Ontario Jeff Yurek and health units will take a more proactive role.

Despite this $10,000 allocation which was already a budget item for 2020, Coun. Bill Vrebosch called the arrangement a "neverending circle of money," and Coun. Mark King described any future requests for funding, a result of Council "going down a black hole."

So, the community sharps bin will be provided by the Health Unit and located somewhere on the Community Counselling Centre's property — where Coun. Chris Mayne pointed out the bin is not visible on surrounding security cameras to preserve anonymity — and a third-party collection company will empty the bin bi-weekly. Except, noted King, if the bin is full, then City staff will be responsible, something he sees as a liability issue.

The Health Unit added, "The community sharps bin allows individuals to access a discreet location to safely dispose of sharps 24/7. The use of community sharps bins is a long-term and sustainable solution for safer needle disposal which has already been adopted in many other communities across Ontario."

In wrapping up his remarks, King asked "Are we really addressing the issue?" And, later, he added, "It's only going to get worse."